Elwitches
by embraidery
Summary: Luna and Charlie talk magical cryptids.


_**A/N:**_ _Some of the creatures mentioned in this story, including the Hodag, are part of J. K. Rowling's universe; others are based on real-world cryptids._

Fairies twinkled in the Burrow's bushes and not a gnome was to be found in the garden. There was a marquee set up in the garden, recalling the marquee set there for Bill and Fleur's wedding a handful of years ago, and the house and garden were bursting with happy people. Luna watched people laugh and take sips of champagne from the flutes engraved with Ron and Hermione's names.

"Hey, Luna," Charlie said, coming up beside her table. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Luna replied, smiling at him. "It's a beautiful wedding, isn't it? Ron and Hermione look very nice."

Charlie settled into his seat and nodded, eyes on the happy couple. "Ron looks so grown up."

"I haven't spoken with him in a while, but I hope he's learned more tact," Luna said, taking a sip of her drink.

Charlie laughed. "I haven't seen you for ages either. How have you been?" His eyes took on the soft, sad look Luna recognised from countless friends and strangers asking about the war. It had been a few years, but she hadn't seen Charlie since.

"Oh, very good," she said sincerely. "Dad and I went to America and gathered obscure potion ingredients. Inventing these new potions has been very enlightening."

"What kinds of potions?"

"We experimented with a potion to make the drinker sober. That one contains powdered horn of hodag, a funny little creature that lives in America. We also invented a potion to keep wrackspurts away. Of course, Dad's wrackspurt siphons work very well, but it's convenient to have a potion, too." Luna removed a vial from her handbag and passed it to Charlie. "You're welcome to drink it."

Charlie uncorked the little bottle and sniffed the sparkly purple potion inside. "Why not?" he asked, before swigging it. He made a face and set the bottle on the table. "How long am I safe from wrackspurts for?"

Luna folded her hands in her lap. "You don't have to pretend to believe in them."

Charlie took a while to choose his words. "Luna, I'm sorry people don't take your beliefs seriously. I try to keep an open mind. After all, I feel fuzzy sometimes; I may not think that's because of little flying creatures, but if you've developed a potion that helps, I'm game to try it." He cocked his head and said, "I'd forgotten, but Hermione told me that your father had an Erumpet horn. I would say crumple-horned snorkack, but the horn really did explode, and snorkack horns aren't supposed to explode, right?" Luna nodded. "But honestly, I see tracks in the sanctuary all the time that I don't know how to identify. Tracks with nine toes, tracks with no toes, tracks from animals with six legs. I don't think any of us know what's really out there."

Luna grinned. "I think the tracks with nine toes could be an elwitch. They look like chickens, but they have scales…"

Charlie set down his glass and leaned forward. "I love anything with scales."

"We think elwitches are mostly harmless, of course," Luna began, "but they do have secretions that cause confusion in anyone that touches them." She pulled a pen out of her purse and doodled on the nearest napkin. "The secretions probably come out of glands on their face…" She went on animatedly, telling Charlie about many different creatures that supposedly lived in Eastern Europe.

"Oh, I've definitely heard noises like that at night," Charlie said, laughing at Luna's imitation of the call of a peluda.

Luna smiled. "I would love to go on a tour of Europe to look for them."

Charlie sighed. "I know we've been talking about these things I can't explain, but I'd hate for you to be disappointed. I see and hear these things pretty rarely."

Luna rolled the edge of the doodle-covered napkin between her fingers. "To tell the truth, I think I'm so passionate about all these creatures because Mum was. I wanted to stay connected to her." She smiled faintly. "Daddy, too. If she were still alive he wouldn't have cared so much; he always cared more about the Quibbler."

Charlie nodded. "I understand. I don't really care about Muggle things, but every time I see one I think of Dad."

Luna smiled. "Oh yes, I remember seeing the shed full of Muggle things. They're fascinating, aren't they? Very strange."

"Do you go to the Burrow much?"

Luna shook her head. "I don't remember going much at all after Mum died."

"And you were never into Quidditch, were you?" Charlie laughed.

"No. But I doubt your brothers would have asked me to play, since they never asked Ginny. I used to watch her fly by herself. It must have been lonely." Luna stirred her drink with her umbrella.

"I don't know why they didn't let her play," Charlie said. "I would have. But I guess Percy would have wanted to protect her…"

"Charlie!" shouted Ginny. "Come dance!"

"Just a second!" Charlie looked over at Luna. "It was good to catch up, Luna. Best of luck finding your elwitches." He seemed to consider his words before saying, "Don't let your fire go out."

"Thank you," Luna said. She impulsively reached out and squeezed his hand. "That's a nice thing to say." She smiled at Charlie as he left the table and twirled a curl around her finger as she looked at her drawings on the napkin. Smiling faintly, she tucked the napkin into her purse before slipping off into the night.


End file.
